Noah of Innocence
by ToiletBrushCat
Summary: What if the Earl had not just left allen after the happenings at mana's gray. And what if the 14th was not the only Noah sleeping in Allen's mind...? Eventual Poker Pair! TykixAllen AllenxTyki
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: dont own -man

Noah of Innocence

Chapter 1

The rain came down in a never ending blanket that concealed the grieving boy from the public eye. His small figure was knelt in front of a grave inscribed Mana Walker. No other words was cast into the rough, cheap stone, the only thing the town was sympathetic enough to provide for the traveller who had only lived among them for the past four days. None of them had had a second thought about the small boy who had travelled with the clown. Over all, the boy was the sort that you would not remember. He was polite and well mannered, as was expected of children in those times. He would often be seen helping Mana out in his clown acts, dressing up as a clown himself to do small tricks, such as acrobats and juggling, but, other than that, the child tended to keep to himself, and none of the town people even knew his name. They had no idea the boy had just lost the only person that had ever loved him. No idea that the child had not left with the rest of the circus troop. No idea that he was still there, kneeling in the rain, slowly freezing, and crying on his own, with no one to comfort or care for him anymore. He was alone, and this he knew. The tears silently ran down his cheeks leaving streaks through the dirt that had settled there when he had slept next to the grave the previous night, with nowhere else to go, and no one to tell him otherwise, he had not left the grave yard since the funeral the day before.

The child was small, even for the five years of life he had so far experienced in the cruel world. Those years had not been happy, and when he had though things were finally starting to brighten a little, this had happened. Mana had died. The child had been born to a young woman, in her early twenties, she had been so looking forward to parenthood, along with her husband, both were so happy when their first child was born. Happy, that is, until they saw it. Saw his arm. It was a horribly disfigured limb, a harsh red with cracked skin, and a strange cross imbedded in the hand that glowed an eerie, sickening green. One look at their, previously presumed perfect, son and the mother had burst into tears. The father had left the house, only to come back hours later drunk out of his mind. And so the boy had spent his first three years living in a house, not a home, where his only family could not even bear to look at him. They hated him. He had ruined everything for them, so they ruined everything for him. They made the poor boy's life hell, and he was not even old enough to understand what he had done wrong nor that the way they treated him was not normal. On his third birthday both the mother and father had had enough of their son. They considered him and embarrassment, and never let him out the house or let him meet anyone outside the family. On that fateful anniversary of his birth they took him out the house for the first time. The child had been overwhelmed with the everyday life he was seeing for the first time, as his parent lead him out of the town and into a carriage. The boy had remained silent throughout the journey, not wanting to disturb his parents' seemingly good moods, as they had not hit him or yelled since they left the house. The journey by carriage had lasted around three hours, and when they had left the warmth, and braved the elements outside his parents had walked though a city, where the boy saw more people than he knew to exist in the world, as he ran to keep up with their longer legs. When eventually they reached a street corner, opposite a cafe, the couple had turned to take in their unwanted son, for the last time. They had told him to wait there and they would come back to collect him. They never did. To this day the boy is still convinced that they did come back, but he missed them, and that it was his fault just like they had always told him.

It was not long after that, he discovered people's disgust towards his arm. After the first incident, involving a couple of street kids who beat him senseless whilst calling him a monster and devil child, he invested in a glove he found in someone's trash. It was much too large for him, and would often fall off, until he found some rope and tied it around his wrist, holding the glove in place. He still wore the same glove now, kneeling in the dirt. He had always been careful not to let anyone see the abomination after the incident and had only slipped up on a few occasions, one of them being with Mana's dog. He had found a small stream one afternoon, around 5 months after being abandoned, and had removed the dirty material briefly to clean it and the disgusting hand beneath. That is when the dog had appeared and licked his hand as though there was nothing at all wrong with the crimson limb. The child had also cried at that time, he could not have told you why, his emotions were too confusing and all he knew for certain at the time: he was relieved. Relieved beyond belief that something could accept his deformation, and happy for this brief sense of normality. The dog visited his humble abode of a cardboard box behind some trash cans in an ally every day after that, and often brought some food with it, bits of a loaf, and sometimes some meat, the boy always presumed it was receiving these from its owner. It was on one of the dogs visits that the unthinkable happened. The child had become a little slack on the wearing of his glove after his hand being excepted by the dog. On one of the brief occasions he took off the garment, another street urchin had seen. The boy had been unaware of his deformation being discovered, until later when he found a group of street kids beating up the dog. They called the dog a monster and devil as it had licked his hand, they thought it was disgusting. They beat the dog and all the boy could do was watch, and cry. When the children finally left, the child stepped out from the shadows. He walked to the dog's side, trembling all over. It was his fault just like his parents had said. Bad things always happened around him, and to those close to him.

It was then that he saw Mana for the first time. The clown had been walking the streets searching for his trusty companion and had heard the shouting and yelling and come to investigate. What he found was his dog. Bloody, bruised and dead. No one else was around so he ran forwards and pulled the poor thing into his arms. He did not notice the boy hiding in the shadows, tears still streaming down his face. Guilt was what the boy was feeling now. Guilt beyond anything he had felt before. And it was here that the child swore he would never let anyone get close to him again. Never would he get attached to another thing or person. Never would he care. He broke this promise the next day. He went to see what had become of the dog, and found a grave by the side of the stream where they had first met. He sat beside the grave and decided he would let himself cry one more time for the dog that had cared, the dog that had accepted him. It was then that he saw Mana a second time, but this time they met. After a few minutes of watching the boy at his dogs grave Mana had spoken, saying he was happy the dog had had another friend other than himself. After that they got to know each other, and, eventually, the child opened himself up to the owner of this dog that had been the only one to ever accept him, and therefore broke the promise. He came to care, became attached, and came to love Mana Walker.

And it was because of this attachment that he was paying so dearly now. He was once again feeling the hopelessness and loneliness of one who had been left behind once again. And, just like the time when Mana had found his dog, he did not see the man hiding in the shadows watching his misery with great interest. This man however was not crying as the boy had been, he was grinning an insanely large grin that took a large portion of his face. This grin did not falter once. Also the man wore a large top hat, with rabbit ears extending from the top, and the man was huge. Huger than Mana had been dressed in his too big clown outfit, and he had a pumpkin toped umbrella shielding him from the rain. This man was known as the Millennium Earl. He was feared, hated and opposed by a small number of people, loved and followed by a select few and unknown to the majority of mankind. Usually he was good at turning up on time for his job, and found the grieving friend or relative fairly quickly, within a few hours of the deaf of their loved one. However on this occasion it had taken a full day to get to the location. This in itself was not entirely unusual as sometimes people's grief came in waves and when the emotion was weak it was difficult to pinpoint, however something was different about this one. The grief was strong enough to call him all the way across the planet, and that in itself was unusual, but what distracted him was something was trying to block the signal that was sent out to him, it was obvious how strong the grief was, however the pull he usually felt was blurred, and this made it difficult to find the exact location. All this interested the earl greatly. Who was this person that was being protected by a force he had never felt before and was obviously inhuman, but felt a human emotion of guilt in such strength he had never seen before? The answer was in front of him now: a little boy.

It was of no matter, he decided, he would win, as all he had to do was convince the boy to bring back his loved one. Stepping out from the shadowed alley, the Earl approached the grieving child. As he approached he took in more details of the boy's appearance. He had grey eyes, like the clouded sky above, which were unfocused. His eyelashes were clumped together from the endless tears and all of this was set into a rather feminine face. The boy's body was extremely small and very thin, suggesting malnourishment or illness, but, due to the state of his clothes, the Earl concluded he was most probably a street kid, so would have troubles finding enough food. Even though the earl had been standing directly in front of the boy for a good minute or two, he was yet to be noticed, this irked him some, and that is when he noticed the boy's eyes never left the grave he was standing behind, so, he resorted to other measures.

"Would you like me to bring him back?" He asked, the grin still not leaving his face. Slowly the boy raised his head and looked at the Earl, and he waited impatiently and the child blinked a few times before the words seemed to register. A sparkle appeared in the backs of the grey eyes when he realised what had been asked.

"Could you? Is it really possible? Can he...?" The boy was interrupted by the Earls laughter.

"Of course, but I'm going to need your help as well." A strange skeletal looking figure appeared beside the large man. "I need your voice; only your voice can call him back to walk among us once more." The boy's eyes were shinning with a light that the Earl was seeing for the first time, and he realised that the eyes had been grey only because of the grief, with the hope he had provided they became silver pools so deep that they appeared bottomless and the Earl had trouble looking away. The Earl also felt an emotion rising within him that he could not recognise, but he put that aside for now and concentrated on the work at hand.

"Call him." He told the child before him, and he was surprised to discover his voice was soft a gentle towards the boy who had obviously been through a lot...

"MANA!" The boy cried, turning his face towards the sky and receiving a face full of rain for the trouble. An eerie glow fell upon the metal skeleton, and as it faded a screeching filled the air as the soul-that-was-now-trapped's name was scratched into the head of the creature. A new voice was added to the conversation filled with anger and despair.

"Why...What's...Allen, Allen how could you? You turned me into an akuma!" The voice echoed throughout the grave yard, and the boy took a step toward the new weapon of the Earl's.

"Mana! Your back! Everything will be alright now, right?" The child looked pleadingly up at the Akuma. With a manic laugh the Earl cut in.

"Akuma, I order you, kill the boy and wear his skin." And with that he walked off into the night to watch the performance at a more preferable distance.

"Allen, I curse you Allen!" And with that the creature lunged forward and sliced his knife like arm downwards across the young boy face. Crying out, he fell backward onto some wet grass and began scrabbling backwards tears anew dripping from the one remaining eye that was grey once more.

"Mana, Mana, Mana, Mana..." He began to murmur over and over like a mantra, eyes never leaving his loved one as he desperately tried to get away. But now he found his back pressed up against another grave and could move no further. In defeat he closed his one eye that still operated and waited for death. However it never came, and when he heard a howl fill the night he opened his right eye once again to find his left arm had changed. No longer was it red and scaly, but now white and huge, lager than himself, in fact. But all this did not matter to him, as at that moment in time it was lodged into the stomach area of the strange machine. It leaked black oil in the way that a human would bleed crimson blood, and the last words that left its mouth before it disintegrated was:

"...I love you Allen..."

And once again the Earl was looking upon a scene with a young boy, now laying, in a grave yard crying his heart out. He knew what he must now do and walked out of the shadows once more to kill the child who had been 'chosen by God' before he became a danger. However when he reached the child, he looked deep into the dull grey eyes and found he wanted nothing more but to see the silver pools, nothing more that to see this child happy and smiling. This scared the Earl greatly, who was this boy to do this to him. To make him feel emotions he had never felt for anyone before, not even the Noahs who he considered family. But these thoughts soon evaporated as his eyes fell upon the grey ones once more, and then he knew what he must do. He knelt down beside the boy, his knees hitting the ground causing a miniature earthquake, and leant over so his face fell into the boy's line of vision.

"What is your name child?" He asked gently, even the pumpkin shaped umbrella seemed uncertain at this new caring side of its master. After a few seconds the boy responded.

"Allen Walker..." he croaked, and closed his eyes in pure misery.

"Would you like to come with me, Allen Walker?" The Earl asked kindly. The child saw no reason to stay where he was or resist anything, so simply nodded, his eyes remaining closed, and shortly he felt the ground fall away from him as the Millennium earl lifted the tiny, cold, shaking child into his arms, and stepped through a chequered door that appeared out of nowhere to his left, the umbrella now protecting the pair from the dreary night.

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Please review! xxx


	2. Chapter 2

Hey every one! I got this next chapter out on my birthday if any of u are interested! (13th jan)!

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Noah of Innocence  
Chapter 2

As the Earl walked down the hall on the other side of the door, he felt the boy in his arms begin to relax a little and, eventually, the child's breathing evened out as he fell into an uncertain sleep. However the Earl began to worry as he realised the fragile body that lay in his arms was still shivering and shaking. The boy's skin was icy to touch. Becoming more worried now, he pulled the child closer, hugging him, trying to restore some warmth to the cold figure he held. However, as he did this he felt something warm soaking into his shirt upon his chest. Pulling he boy away from him once more, he looked down at himself, and was surprised to find the pressed white cotton was stained red. Looking from the clothing to the boy he finally noticed the wound from earlier, the one his own akuma had inflicted upon such a beautiful pale face. The boys left eye looked to be beyond repair, the eyelid torn and the eye beneath in the same state. A long scratch also ran from the boy's forehead, through the destroyed eye, and down his cheek to stop almost at his chin. The Earl felt guilty looking upon the once angelic face, now marked and bloodied, and began to rush towards his personal lodgings within the mansion they were now inside. Upon reaching his door he went through and headed straight for his humongous bed, big enough for five people to comfortably sleep side by side, but to be fair, he needed the room. The Earl gently laid the boy on top of the sheets, whipped a few strands of sticky hair out of the child's face, and then bustled around looking for a washcloth and bandages. He then brought a bowl of warm water to the child's side, along with the cloth and bandages, and began to bathe the wound, until, eventually the bleeding stopped. Upon this moment he delicately lifted the boy's upper body, so he was sitting, and lent him against his own body. This gave him better access to bandage the cut in the appropriate manner, before laying him back down to sleep, covering him up so he may begin to regain the lost warmth. He then fussed around grabbing some ice from the freezer and wrapping it in a towel and held it to the boys head to bring down the slight fever that had begun to form.

Allen woke the following evening, confused of where he was and what was happening around him. After a few minutes of just sitting in the bed he began to remember the events of the last few days, including Mana's death… both deaths. His emotions began to spiral out of control and his eye filled with so many tears yet to be shed over the matter. And then he felt numb. So incredibly numb and tired. He found he did not care anymore. And that was when the Earl entered the room. He shut the door behind him before turning to the bed to find that Allen had woken up whilst he was out. Walking over to the boy's side he sat on the edge of the bed beside him.

"How are you feeling?" He asked gently. He received no reply. Sighing he reached out and placed a hand on the boys shoulder, yet still he did not receive a response from the small child. He wrapped his arm around the boy's waist and dragged the skinny body towards him, sitting him across his lap and gazed at the boys face. He was staring straight ahead with those grey eyes the Earl had come to hate. "Allen…" Slowly the blank eyes swivelled to look at him. "How are you feeling? Are you Hungry? Does your eye still hurt?" Slowly the boy's right arm rose and touched where his eye was beneath the bandages, and then it flopped back to his side. The child shook his head slightly, letting the Earl know his eye was not hurting at the present. Another sigh escaped the Earls lip in relief, and then his giant grin widened a little more as a monstrous raw echoed around the room. The source: Allen's stomach.

"Right, food it is. I'll bring some here. Anything you want in particular? You can have anything you want!" The young boy just shook his head slightly as a reply, and the Earl's grin drooped a smidgen. "Right. Okay then. I'll just bring a variety!" His grin regained another dimple as the idea brightened his mood considerably once more. "Wait right here!" He declared as he placed the boy back on the bed to skip from the room to the nearest akuma maid and order a bit of everything from the kitchens, and then rushed back to the child's side. He was still sitting in the same position as the Earl left him staring at the wall directly in front of him, no emotions visible on the bandaged face. The huge man sat beside the boy once more. "Let's look at that eye now, shall we?" He said, and reached out towards the child, who just continued to gaze blankly at the wall. He slowly unwound the bandage he had put there the night before, and, as the cut became visible, his eyebrows tilted downwards into a frown, which looked quite odd alongside his ever present grin. _This is... interesting. Hmm..._ After a few more moments the bandage was gone and the boys left half of his face was in clear view. "Hmm..." the Earl pondered "...try opening your eye, Allen." The boy gazed at the Earl through his right eye for a moment, and then blinked and slowly his left eyelid lifted. "Can you see through it?" The boy nodded softly.

The Millennium Earl was thoroughly confused. Just the night before he had thought the eye a lost cause, but now the cut was healed and the eye was as good as new! Wanting to make sure, he asked the boy to shut his right and held up his fingers. The boy held up the correct amount of fingers himself, confirming that the eye worked, but also drawing attention to the fact the boy had not spoken once since he had woken. He was about to question the boy on this when there was a light knock at the door. "Come in." He said, full of authority, and the door swung inwards to reveal a young woman, with long brown hair and pale skin, of course she was in fact a low level akuma that served in the Earls mansion, but to anyone looking she would seem to be a harmless female. So he was surprised when he heard a choke behind him and then a muffled scream. He turned sharply to see Allen, his knees pulled to his chest and a hand held to his mouth. Both eyes were wide with fear and horror. Grey and Red. The boys left eye had changed, and in such a dramatic way that even the Earl could not entirely hide his shock. It was now a deep abyss of liquid black with glowing red rings where the circumference of the iris and pupil should have been. And it was leaking tears of blood. The thick red juice rolled down the pale scared cheek mirroring the clear salty water on the other side. Suddenly both eyes drooped shut and the boy pitched forwards, falling towards the hard wooden floor. The Earl reached out and snagged the back of the child's nightshirt he had changed the child into earlier, essentially stopping the collision, and yelled at the akuma to get out.

Sighing he laid out the petite boy on top of the sheets once more. _What was that?_ Once more he was left with the boy lying unconscious on his bed. Sighing again he began to turn away from the frail looking boy, before really starring at the child. His hair was different, and then it hit him. It was paler, a lot paler, almost blond, and as though the hair could hear his thoughts it began to change before his eyes, paling to the point where all the pigment was gone. The hair was white, whiter than the snow that falls fresh from the sky. _Well that's... different..._ Reaching out the Earl brushed some of the white strands from the boy's face, savouring the smooth, softness against his skin. Without thinking he leant forwards and pressed his face into the mass of snow, breathing in the surprisingly sweet smell of the pure child. _Allen..._ Pulling himself away he sat himself in the cushioned chair beside the bed, waiting for the boy to wake.

He did not have to wait long. Soon the boy began to stir, and slowly opened his eyes, both grey, which took their time focusing on the world. After a few moments, he shot upright and clasped his right hand to the freshly healed eye, and began to sob silently, the grieving notion shaking through his small frame, making the Earl even more aware of how fragile this human appeared. Lunging forwards, he knelt on the thick rug that covered the wooden floor on this side of the monstrous bed. Reaching out he pulled the trembling figure into his arms, shushing him, speaking words of comfort into the pale ear next to his lips. Slowly the child's sobs slowed, becoming irregular hiccups. Allen's tiny hands were fisted into the Earls shirt, and even though the tears that left the same shirt sodden had stopped, the hands did not loosen, refusing to allow the man who had become his pillar to leave his side. Although the Earl would never admit it, he enjoyed hugging Allen to him, it caused his chest to clench when they were apart and he accepted Allen's grip as an excuse if anyone were to interrupt them. Not that anyone would. The Earl had banned any of the Noah from entering his domain long ago and the Akuma would never enter without permission either. Trying not to upset the boy who was beginning to regain his composure the Earl continued to hold the child close.

"Allen, what happened? It was your eye wasn't it?" Allen just shook his head that was pressed into the Earls chest. "What did you see Allen? I need to know so I can help you..." being a little more forceful now, he untangled the tiny hands from his shirt and pulled the child's body to sit on his lap.

"...There was this thing..." the boy chocked out between sniffles. Rubbing the bony back in a soothing manor, the Earl silently encouraged Allen to continue. "...it was floating next to her...and it was chained to the body. It looked horrible! ...and it talked, it kept saying 'help me' and 'it hurts' and 'save me'. And I couldn't do anything!" Fresh tears fell anew from the boy's dim grey eyes. The Earl pulled the child into another, crushing embrace but froze upon the next words that left the boy's mouth. "...is that what I did to Mana...?"

"Allen, do you hate me? For making you do that to ... Mana?" The Earl asked looking deep into the grey orbs.

"No. It was my fault. It's always my fault. I really am a monster." And with that last word Allen's face became a smooth unreadable mask. A wall fell across the emotional eyes leaving them glazed and as emotionless as a stone.

"No Allen. It wasn't your fault, never think that." The Earl said sternly. Not receiving a reply he shook the frail body in front of him. "You hear me? It's not your fault!" Still the boy remained silent. The grey glassy eyes just stared at him, unbelieving and dead.

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Please review xxx


	3. Chapter 3

Noah of Innocence

Chapter 3

It had been a week since the first time Allen's eye had acted strangely and he had not spoken since the incident. The Earl had tried on countless occasions to get the boy to talk but each attempt had gone unrewarded other than the small sad smile the boy provided thanking the man for his efforts. The Earl was running out of time and fast. The boy still wouldn't eat much more than a few mouthfuls of food, whilst he knew, for a fact, Allen should be eating more than the average human, after seeing the parasitic innocence, residing in his left arm, first hand. Another thing that was worrying the eldest Noah greatly was Allen's left eye. It was obviously a curse, if the words going along with the cut were anything to go by; however it was unlike anything he had seen before. From the few details the child had been able to tell him, before falling into his ever present silence, he presumed it allowed him to see the souls bound to the Akuma. Whilst all this was fine and dandy, it also affected Allen's mental health in ways that scared him. Just two days ago he had walked into the room after a long day of hard work to find Allen nowhere to be seen. He had at first panicked that he had somehow gotten out of the room, and was about to leave and search when he noticed a stain on the once pristine white sheets of the bed. A splattering of blood left a crimson pattern, horrifying against the pure white. And that's when he heard the heavy breathing. Walking round the edge of the bed he found Allen sitting on the floor, head down. The thing that caused the Earl to jump into action was that from beneath the white bangs, that hid the boy's face from view, was a steady dripping of the same crimson liquid life.

Thinking about it now still caused a shiver down the spine hidden inside his balloon of a body. Allen had scratched out his own eye. The curse, of course, did not allow him the privilege of losing the eye, but restored it as good as new within hours of the Earl finding him. He had been quick to work out what had happened. Since the first activation the earl had banned any of the akuma from entering his room. All had been well until the next evening when the eye had activated a second time. Luckily he had been there to calm the child but this also shown that the curse was strengthening. This time the akuma had been walking past the door, it had not even stepped inside. The day after that the same thing had happened but this time the Akuma had been five rooms down. And so the range the eye was reacting to the Akuma was increasing. The same thing had happened when he had not been there, and the loss of an eye had been the result.

Things were fast becoming too difficult to deal with alone. He had kept Allen secret form the other Noahs up until now hoping to let him settle in first but that was fast becoming unlikely to ever happen with the child becoming thinner and thinner by the minute. He did not even sleep anymore, just laid there waiting for morning when the Earl would leave. So the Earl made a decision. He needed someone to care for Allen whilst he was out during the day, but now came the decision of who should do it. At first he had though Road would be best for the job, even though she was the eldest, after himself, she had the body of a child and therefore would be more likely to bond with the boy and help him through the curse. However on second thoughts he had remembered he sadistic tendencies and how terrifying it would be for Allen if she lost it for one reason or another, especially how helpless he would be in such a situation. He had then gone through each of his Noah siblings but found fault with all but one. Lulubell could have been a mother figure, if it was not for her professional, emotionless personality. Jasdevi were too immature to care for a child. Sheril was too obsessed with his self proclaimed daughter, Road, to watch out for Allen, plus he was busy with his job as minister of some far off country. Skin was too easily angered and much too scary looking for such a fragile human. So this left him with one choice that he would never have usually thought of as a candidate for such a delicate task. I will call Tyki-pon to my 'office' first thing in the morning he decided and curled up on the bed pulling Allen into a hug so they could sleep together.

X

Tyki Mikk was woken early the next morning by a polite knock at his door. He groaned softly but pulled himself up, slipping some jeans on before walking over and opening the door. He had returned to the Noah mansion late the night before and was hoping to get a lie in to rest up after the long journey and the ceaseless mine work he had been doing over the last few weeks with his human friends. So he was not impressed to find an akuma maid standing at the door, that is, until he heard the reason behind the disturbance.

"Master Earl-sama would like to see you in his study as soon as possible Master Tyki-sama." The machine stated, devoid of emotion and completely oblivious to how her master was half dressed with his hair falling in tangled waves to his shoulders.

"I will be there shortly." He told her and, shutting the door behind him, went over to the wardrobe to find something more appropriate to wear in the Earl's presence. Changing into black trousers with a matching jacket and a white shirt underneath he finished the outfit with polished black shoes, a pair of gloves and a top hat. Examining himself in the mirror he tied his hair back and deemed himself presentable before heading in the direction of the Earl's 'office'.

He knocked on the door before entering the room and was met with the usual sight of a mountain of telephones ringing madly, demanding the attention of the eldest Noah sitting in the middle of the mess.

"Ah! Tyki-pon, glad to see you could make it!" The man said his ever present grin widening, if at all possible, but the eyes set above remained dead serious. Tyki was becoming even more curious by the minute and nodded his head in greeting.

"What is it you wanted, Earl-sama?"

"Well you see, I have a very important mission for you that requires the utmost delicacy and secrecy from everyone. That includes the other Noah." The Earl said severely. Tyki's eyes widened a little in shock but he nodded in understanding. "Good. Now follow me, I'll explain on the way."

X

Allen was sitting on the edge of the bed, exactly where he had been left by the Earl around an hour earlier. He had not moved, only sat staring at the wall waiting for midday when the man would return with piles of food trying to get him to eat. He was currently listening to the eerie silence other than the loud ticking of the clock mounted above the door. Every now and then he glanced up at said clock, just to see how long it would be till the Earl's return. He knew he did not deserve the kindness the man showed him, but could not help but find a certain amount of safety and peace in the man's arms that calmed him and brought him as close to happiness as he had been... since...

Suddenly a sharp pain filled his left eye and he found it, once again, moving without his permission, completely independent of his right. It finally settled on an Akuma, as he had been told what they were, a couple of floors below him in the kitchens. Its soul called out to him, begging him to release it. It screamed in pain, asking him to still love it even after what it had become. It wanted to be free. Unable to cope anymore he shut his eyes tight and covered his ears curling into a ball on his side. But, just like the previous times, this strange thing his eye had become would not obey him, it continued to stare smugly as the trapped spirit, revelling in the boy's suffering. A scream escaped his throat and he pulled at his hair, anything to distract him from the sight which tortured his mind.

X

The Earl had just finished telling Tyki about Allen and his job requirements. The Noah of pleasure had listened to his silently with a blank expression throughout, although the Earl could tell from the glint in the Portuguese man's eyes that he was curious and interested in what he was saying. It was when the Earl had just told Tyki of the boy's current condition, the loss of speech, not eating and curse, that the scream split the before silent hall way. They were just a few doors down from his room at that point, and with three rushed steps they both yanked the door open and rushed in. The Earl immediately went to the child's side, pulling the tiny hands out of the white hair and hugging him close. Tyki was shocked by the oldest Noah's actions. He had never seen him act this way with anyone outside their family. So he took this opportunity to get a good look at the boy who had found his way into the Earl's rock hard heart.

On inspection he found the child to be small, too small and much too skinny. The tiny shirt that the figure wore was still too big and hung off of the right bony shoulder whilst the sleeves fell past his hands. The Earl had told him the child's name was Allen and had also pre-warned him of his hair. Even whilst expecting it, the white along with a young body was a strange sight to be seen. The Noah of pleasure felt it when Lord Millennium sent a telepathic message, ordering a couple of akuma in the kitchens to leave. He then jumped to the conclusion that what was distressing the shounen was the curse he had informed him of, but if so then the range was truly impressive. The kitchens where three floors below them, and there was a thick slab of concrete between the ground floor and the basement where the cooking area was situated.

Eventually the commotion seemed to quieten somewhat and when Tyki glanced in their direction he found the shounen still wrapped in a comforting hug but no longer struggling, just shaking as the eldest Noah whispered comforting words into the young ear. After a few more moments the trembling ceased and the frail body relaxed against the balloon that was the Earl, his breathing evening out.

Lord Millennium then lifted the tiny boy and laid him out on top of the sheets and wiped dome stray hair from the sleeping face. Tyki walked over to the edge of the bed and sat beside Allen. He looked so innocent and pure. The face was pale and contained and alien beauty, the white hair just adding an exotic feel, but at the same time there was something wrong. Long, thick lashes rested on skin darkened by sleepless nights and the forehead was damp with sickly sweat. But what was truly horrid was a red star, inverted, upon the child's brow above his left eye. A scratch was drawn from its bottom point down through the eye and over the cheek almost reaching Allen's chin. It was a shock of bloody colour against pure white.

Reaching out, Tyki surprised himself by brushing a few strands of hair that the Earl had missed from the beautiful face. He then looked up in confusion to the man. He felt drawn to the child in a way he could not explain. He just wanted the boy to be happy and found he would do anything to protect him. Catching Lord Millennium's eye the Earl spoke.

"I said he was special." His voice was surprisingly soft and the eyes above the usual grin were gentle as they swerved to look at Allen once more. "There's just something about him... I don't know what, but you feel it too, don't you." It was a statement, but the Noah of pleasure found himself nodding anyway. Tyki turned back to the shounen and ran his fingers through the silk like hair and rubbed a thumb over the pentagram. "Keep watch over him. He's been suffering from nightmares, but let him sleep as long as you can. Also try and get him to eat a decent meal, he hasn't been eating properly either." The Earl glanced at the clock above the door and sighed. "I've got to go. I'll be back around three, which gives you seven hours..." He went to walk out the room but turned back one last time before shutting the door silently behind him. "Look after him." He said sternly, and a shiver ran down Tyki's spine. He certainly hoped everything went OK, because he defiantly did not want to end up on the Earl's bad side.

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Please review! I need to know if people are still interested in this story so I'm not just wasting my time so please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Noah of Innocence

Chapter 4

Tyki sat on the edge of the bed running his long fingers through the white locks, waiting for the child to awaken. Precisely twenty four minutes after the Earl had left, the boy began to show some movement. However, after he began to toss and turn, slowly becoming entangled in the sheet that lay beneath him, he realised the boy was suffering from one of his nightmares the oldest Noah had mentioned. Within moments of this revelation, the Noah of pleasure was attempting to wake the slumbering shounen, but every attempt failed. When shaking and calling Allen's name did not work, Tyki resorted to something he had never done before, at least not since becoming a Noah. He pulled the frail body into a hug and comforted the child as best he could, whispering calming yet nonsense words, meaningless yet peaceful in their own right. Eventually the sobs quietened and the child ceased to struggle. As the breathing evened out it also increased in pace, announcing that Allen was beginning to wake. Tyki continued to sooth the boy, combing his fingers through the silky hair and waiting for the shounen to finally find consciousness.

Allen quite suddenly jerked into full awareness, but felt himself in the embrace of slim sturdy arms which he allowed himself to relax into. _Mana_. He tried to say, but it remained as a thought. His throat was closed up and he could not speak. Beginning to panic now his breaths became shorter and more regular, becoming gasps as his body fought for oxygen. Black spots began to appear across his vision, and his tense body began to slump, as the panic attack came in full swing...

Tyki was alarmed to find the child hyperventilating in his hold.

"Hey! Allen, calm down. Its okay, everything's alright. The Earl sent me, I won't hurt you." The boy's body slumped against him, not in a relaxing manor, but one of weakness and defeat. "Shounen, listen. No one's going to hurt you, you're safe here, I promise." He turned the limp body so it was lying once again on top of the sheets of the bed and leant over the tiny frame, glad to find the boy still had his eyes open. Staring into the pair of grey grieving orbs, he looked long and hard. "Just breathe, okay? Come on, it's not that hard. In, and out."

He anxiously looked on as he began to wonder if Allen could even hear his desperate attempts to help him. However after a few more encouraging words the gasps evened out to pants and eventually a rhythmic series of breaths. The grey eyes lost their glazed look, becoming more focused. They looked up at Tyki hopelessly, craving the company of the man whom he now remembered would never return. A single tear escaped the lonely right eye.

"Shounen? My name's Tyki. Tyki Mikk. I'm a... friend, of sorts, of the Earl." Silence met his attempt at an introduction. "I know your name's Allen, but not much else. Want to tell me a bit about yourself?" Again he was just faced with two grey orbs gazing vaguely at him, slowly losing their focus as he fell into the child's background as the boy once again became lost within his own mind.

"Are you hungry? What would you like to eat?"

"..."

"How about some cake?"

"..."

"Sweets?"

"..."

"Come on! I know kids like sweet things."

"..."

"Fine not up to talking then." With a soft hmph, Tyki also fell into a silence, sulking slightly. He had been so sure he could help the boy in some way and which he knew would please the Earl greatly.

Allen felt guilty about upsetting the man. He knew this Tyki person was just trying to help him, much like the Earl who had taken care of him for a while now, but he just could not seem to be able to talk. He had tried, however every time he opened his mouth and the words began to form his breath would stick in his throat and he would be incapable of even breathing until he gave up the attempt. So he resorted to other means to gain the man's attention. He slowly, hesitantly, leant forwards and lightly placed his pale right hand on the man's shoulder, quickly withdrawing it when the man turned sharply to take him in. Brown met grey for a few seconds before Allen put the next part of his plan into action.

Tyki watched in astonishment as the boy mouthed something to him.

"Sorry?" He said uncertainly, but was quickly assured by a tentative nod. "That's okay shounen." A grin fell with ease onto his features at the achievement of communicating with Allen. The child frowned slightly and mouthed something else.

"Shounen?" Once more the white haired boy nodded in confirmation. "It means boy." The frown disappeared in an instant and was replaced with a timid, yet breath taking, smile. Tyki was also certain he saw the eyes briefly flash to liquid pools of silver before they froze over, becoming a dull grey again. "Come on. Let's go make something to eat." Tyki decided holding his hand out for Allen to take, smiling kindly down at the thin figure. The boy stared warily at the offered limb, but when he say Tyki's grin fall a little he reached out to take it with his own tiny hand.

They then walked hand in hand along the hall, down several flights of stairs and past many rooms until, finally, they found themselves in a large kitchen. Tyki lifted Allen to sit on the counter as he rummaged through the fridge.

"I'm not much of a cook, so a sandwich will have to do. Okay?" He said glancing up to see the reply which came as a nod of the head. "What do you want in it? Cheese? Ham? Chicken..." He was cut off by the boy's lips moving to form the word of his choice. "Cheese it is." Tyki said brightly and set to work, slicing the bread and cheese and buttering it. Lastly he cut the food into four triangles before placing them on a plate and handing it to the child. Allen ate two whole sections and a bite of the third, but then came to a halt lowering the segment back to the plate and the plate to the counter beside him. Tyki observed this and put down his own dish.

"What's wrong? Did it taste that bad?" He said faking a hurt expression. His was quickly met by protests from the small child, shaking his head viciously whilst waving his hands in front of the scrawny body. "Perhaps you'd like something else then?" The Noah of pleasure turned back to the fridge ignoring the shaking head he caught out the corner of his eye. "Hmmm..." Reaching in, he found a few Mitarashi Dango, sickly sweet syrup covered Japanese deserts that he had seen Road and Skin, dreams and wrath, enjoying on occasion. Most probably Wrath would be outraged by the disappearance of one of his sweet treats however he was not about to let Allen starve himself. He picked up one of the sticks and pulled a single sweet off tentatively pushing it past his lips and handed the rest to the boy. He watched in his peripheral vision as the boy first sniffed the sweet and then took an experimental bite. It was quickly followed by another and then another until sweets were disappearing every few seconds. By this point Tyki had discarded his spying and had turned to watch openly, and in awe, at just how fast the food was disappearing. When there were no Dango left, Tyki opened the fridge a third time and brought out the rest of the skewers, each with five of the treats stabbed into place. He handed the plate to the eager child and watched with wide eyes as they also disappeared soon followed by the previously discarded sandwich and the glass of milk the Noah had fetched earlier.

"So what should we do now?" Tyki wondered after they had made their way back to the Earl's chambers. They still had another hour until he returned and had nothing in particular to do. The boy, however, seemed to have renewed energy after emptying the fridge of anything edible. He looked upon everything with new curiosity and was currently looking at a bookshelf in the corner that Tyki had a suspicion had not been there before they left. "How about I read you a story?" He said, deciding to play along with whatever someone was playing. The boy looked up at him in confusion. "What you don't want me to?" The boy quickly shook his head and pulled a book at random off the bottom shelf, mainly, Tyki noted, because it was the only shelf he could reach. "Hmmm..." he murmured as he looked from the book in the pale hand and back to the shelves, "maybe this one would be a better choice?" Reaching out he took out a book of fairy tales and replace the biography the boy had picked. Allen nodded. "Can you read?" He asked out of curiosity. This received a nod but the boy mouthed a 'sort of' to him.

The Earl dashed away from his 'office' the second the last call had been received and bounded to his quarters. The sight that met his weary eyes was one of great comfort and happiness. Allen appeared to have fallen asleep on Tyki's lap and a book, held in the other Noah's slackened grip, proved the effort he had gone to in his lunch break had been worth it. As he shut the door gently behind him, Tyki, who had also been dozing, jerked into full awareness, but quickly relaxed when he remembered the child on his lap.

"Lord Millennium." He greeted quietly, barely above a whisper.

"He's sleeping." The Earl was truly amazed by the peaceful slumber Allen was currently in.

"Yes. He hasn't had any nightmares yet either. He also ate a... proper lunch?" He trailed off, and his voice rose a little toward the end of the statement, turning it into a question. The questioning look he received encouraged him to explain. "Well... we need to go shopping. He emptied the whole fridge. I don't even want to think about what Road and Skin are going to do to me when they find all their cakes and sweets gone!" he Earl chuckled a little louder than their previous hushed conversation and Allen stirred in pleasure's arms.

"Put him on the bed, we'll talk outside." Lord Millennium said returning to a low voice. Tyki did so, and they continued the exchange behind the door so as not to wake the finally peaceful child, as he slept, free of nightmares, for the first time in the last ten days, since Mana's second death.

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Please review! I wanna know what everyone thinks of the story so far, and if there are any questions i will try my best to answer unless they involve spoilers. Also please point out any mistakes so i can correct them. Thnx xxx :)


	5. Chapter 5

Noah of Innocence

Chapter 5

Three days after their first encounter Tyki was heading, once again, to the Earls quarters. He had spent every day since then with Allen and gradually he was coming to trust the Noah of Pleasure, but still the boy was yet to speak. However, today Tyki walked through the door, literally, with a plan. The boy had been sitting on the bed watching the door and waiting for his arrival, so he saw when Tyki walked straight through the solid object, and his eyes near doubled in size, even though he had already seen Tyki's power a few times before. Tyki smiled at the shocked face and waved slightly before heading over to a chair beside the bed.

"Hey Allen, did you sleep well?" At these words the boy shrugged lightly, giving his usual uncommitted answer. Tyki did not need the response really though, the dark rings between grey orbs and pale cheeks spoke louder than any words the boy should have been able to speak. "Right… Well I was thinking last night, and I thought of something, an idea, if you will." Allen's eyes narrowed a little and his head tilted to the side in a questioning manor. "How would you like to learn sign language?" Silence met this proposal, but then again Tyki was not expecting a verbal response anyway, but when looking into the boy's grey eyes he saw understanding and a hesitation he was not entirely sure what was caused by. The white hair fell forwards to cover the grey eyes as he nodded in agreement. "Excellent! I'm not that good, but I know the basics. Once you know those, I'll find someone to teach you the rest." The boy sent Tyki one of those pure, innocent smiles, which he found impossible not to smile back to. Through the grin he continued by asking the most important question of every day so far. "So…you hungry?"

An hour later found them back in the room with a queasy looking Noah and a smiling Allen, whom had just eaten his way through a fully stocked refrigerator and several cupboards worth of food, enough, usually, to supply this particular Noah house hold for a week. "Urgh… I'm going to have to go shopping, again! You really do enjoy torturing me, huh?" Allen's smile faltered, which Tyki quickly picked up on. "Hey, how about you come with me this time? Get some fresh air? Besides, were gonna need more food if we're going to fill that bottomless pit of yours at lunch, right?" Allen's smile returned within a moment and he nodded in agreement. "But first let's work on this sign language, okay?" Another nod encouraged him to continue.

By the time lunch came, Allen could complete the whole alphabet and could spell out quite a few words. Of course things got a bit difficult when it came to his spelling. When he had told Tyki he could read, sort of, he had meant it. His spelling was poor, as a result, and Tyki had found out the boy could not write either. This led to a frustrating morning of learning how to write individual letters, as well as how to sign them. However Allen was a surprisingly quick learner, so, when the clock finally struck midday, Tyki stood from where they had been sat on the floor with paper and a couple of pencils laid out around them. He held his hand out for Allen to take, and when the boy accepted, with no hesitation Tyki noted in glee, he pulled him to his feet and continued to hold the limb as they walked out the room, only pausing, and letting go, for Tyki to tie the child's shoe laces for him.

The Noah of pleasure had already cleared the trip with the Earl the evening before. It had taken some persuasion; however, in the end he had agreed that Allen need some fresh air and to get out of the Earl's personal mansion for a little while. Things had become complicated within the stately home. All the akumas had had to leave after Allen's curse had increased in range yet again. It now could detect and therefore torture Allen with the images of the akumas' souls in a circular area around him, that encompassed the whole mansion, with the boy at its centre. This was another reason Tyki was to take Allen out, some of the other Noahs, namely Road, Sheryl and Skin, along with a few others, were coming for their monthly dinner that evening, and they were bound to get suspicious if there were no akuma around. So Tyki was taking Allen out to keep him out of the way, whilst their miniature army of akuma swept through their home, cleaning it from top to bottom, and preparing the meal that would take place in the grand dining room. Tyki himself had been excused from the meeting and the Earl had promised to update him after Allen fell asleep later that evening.

When they stepped out the front door they slowly descended down the black marble steps and onto a long sweeping gravel drive. A few feet away a black carriage awaited their entrance to be drawn by two sleek black horses. Once they were both comfortably seated inside, they set off towards the city just a minute or so away. The journey into the settlement was filled with awe for the young Allen. He gazed out the window, turning to grab Tyki's attention, to point out things that had grabbed his own, from the streets beyond the glass barrier.

When they finally reached the bustling inner city, the carriage pulled over and Tyki stepped out the door being held open by the driver they had hired for the occasion. Usually the job would be carried out by an Akuma; however, with Allen there, it was out of the question. The man then turned back and lifted the child the short distance between the inside and the cobbled street. With them both safely on solid ground, Tyki nodded his head to the driver dismissively, and then held his hand out to Allen which he took once again.

They wondered around the area until Tyki found what he was looking for, and dragged the young boy with him into a building. Inside was a small cafe that sold an assortment of sweets and cakes, biscuits and deserts. Just looking at the shelves dripping with sugary treats made their mouths water. Allen looked hopefully from the pastries, and other dishes, to Tyki, and then back again. However the boy's face soon fell and he took to staring at his feet, the freshly white bangs hanging forth to cover the grey eyes beneath. Startled by the sudden change Tyki reached out and gripped the child's chin, tipping his head back to stare into the sorrow filled orbs that had become strangely blank.

"Allen, what's wrong?" He said softly. All he received in return was a small shaking of the head, hampered a little by the hand still gripping his delicate chin. "I'm not taking no for an answer, shounen, now, what's the matter?" Again Allen turned his head from side to side, but this time mouthed a few words for Tyki to interpret. "You don't deserve what?" The boy gestured wildly to everything, with his gaze finally coming to rest on Tyki once more and mouthed one more word that gave Tyki the strange feeling of there being a lump in the back of his throat. At first he could not place the sensation, but soon his memory served up the answer: he wanted to cry. The boy had only tried to say one word and it had reduced him to this.

_I don't deserve this...Happiness._

Tyki quickly pulled the boy into his arms and held him close whilst walking over to the nearest table and seated himself, positioning Allen on his lap.

"Everybody deserves happiness Allen. Everyone. You hear me? Especially you. You are the sweetest and most innocent child I have ever met. Why shouldn't you be happy? Why shouldn't you?" Tyki's own eyes bore into the grey ones what were suddenly filled with tears, however only one escaped, trailing down the pale white cheek, and the Noah quickly whipped it away with a finger, and pulled Allen back into a hug, resting his chin a top his head. After a while he felt the boy relax just that little bit more into his embrace, and only then did Tyki allow himself to move on. "So, Allen, all those pastries and sweets can't eat themselves..." At this Allen stiffened in his grip, but not in the terrified manner he always used to, but out of excitement that was clearly shown in brief flash of silver that seeped into the dull orbs as they gazed up at the elder male's face. Allen leapt from Tyki's lap and waited patiently for him to rise so they could head over to the counter together. When there the Noah ordered a plate of Mitarashi Dango whilst, using his lip reading skills, and bits of sign language, ordered several other deserts for the boy. They then sat together, Tyki taking a bite of each dish, and Allen finishing them all off.

As Tyki paid the bill he glanced up at the clock on the wall above the door. He still had hours to keep Allen busy in the city, and decided the next place to go would be a clothes store to get the boy several changes of clothes, especially as the shirt and trousers the boy currently wore, although tiny, were still to large on his thin frame. Repeating the thought aloud to the child, he got a shy nod and they headed out looking for a shop that would be suitable.

They passed several larger shops that sold all the in style clothes of that time for children, but all of the outfits just were not quite right for tiny Allen. Tyki was getting rather agitated by the search, and whilst Allen seemed fine with anything, he on the other hand was determined to find something perfect for the child that had wormed his way into the frozen heart of the Noah. He had just sighted a small ice cream stand, and was on his way over to buy Allen one, when the boy tugged lightly on his sleeve to get his attention. Glancing over to where the thin forefinger was pointing, he saw a tiny shop squished between two other larger stores, which looked a rather dark and dingy. However the sign above the door stated clearly: 'Carrie's Child Clothing' in an old style script on yellowing painted wood. Tyki cocked an eyebrow at the strange building and then turned the look onto Allen who smiled innocently up at him. Gulping slightly, he nodded his head, and they changed direction to head over to the almost cynical looking store.

Stepping through the door caused a bell above it to ring shrilly throughout the rather desolate inside. There were a few racks of clothes here and there, but not much in the way of choices. A counter, to one side, had a propped up plaque that read: 'More clothes out back. Feel free to ask for assistance. Ring the bell.' When he approached the desk, with Allen still holding the edge of his sleeve and following a step behind, a fuzzy head came into view. It appeared the shop owner had fallen asleep behind the till. Her strange hair was a mass of curls that frizzed all over. Clearing his throat and still receiving no response, Tyki reached out and pinged down of the bell, letting the crisp clear sound penetrate the stagnant air. The figure jolted upright at the noise, hair flying in all directions, and squinted her eyes in the two's direction, through, now revealed, thick glassed green glasses that rested on the tip of her nose, that had somehow not fallen off from the sudden movement. Around the two 'arms' was a chain that circled her neck, so that when she removed them herself moments later, they were left to dangle atop her bosom. Allen appreciated her discarding the spectacles, as the glass had been so thick it had magnified her eyes many times over, giving her an owlish look that had shaken up the nervous child a little.

"Good evening ma'am. I take it you're Carrie?" Asked Tyki, he tried to remain polite, even though he felt rather disgusted by this woman's lack of maintenance.

"Actually, no. I'm Angela. My sister left me in charge of the shop whilst she's away on her honeymoon, bless her. Got married just two weeks ago, she did. Will be back tomorrow, she only went to one of those little pretty villages just a few miles away. They're staying in our parents' cottage whilst they stay here in the spare room..." She continued to babble on and Tyki was beginning to get seriously bored. Clearing his throat, to interrupt her as politely as possible, he went straight to the point.

"We're here to buy some clothes for Allen." He stated. At the mention of his name, the boy's hand briefly tightened its hold on Tyki's sleeve, pulling on it a little. The woman leant forwards, placing her glasses back on her nose, and studied the boy closely. Allen shrank back at the sudden scrutiny that had befallen him. Whimpering lightly he physically stepped back gently pulling on Tyki's sleeve again, revealing his discomfort to the elder man.

"Such a cute, young boy! Come right this way my dear. I'll measure you up myself!" She practically skipped round the counter and ushered them towards the racks of cloths. "Right, you two browse through these, whilst I have a look out back, see if I can find that tape measure, and what I can dig up in there." With a wink in their direction, she turned on her heals and marched off towards an old wooden door set in the back wall, and passed through it and down a flight of steps on the other side. Tyki's eyes followed her until she was out of sight. Allen continued to grip his sleeve, but once he could no longer see the woman he pulled on it to gain Tyki's attention, tugging him towards the door.

"Allen? What's the matter?" Tyki was truly baffled by the behaviour, and found that he was being directed towards the entrance. "Allen?" The young boy turned to look Tyki in the eyes, and the Noah was startled to find that the grey one's were clouded over in fear, with tears of terror threatening to over flow. "Allen! What's wrong?" He grabbed the boy's two hands in his own, and knelt down on one knee before him; even still, he was taller than the child's frail form. "Allen," he said more sternly when all he did was shake his head in response, "tell me." The boy's right wrist slipped through Tyki's hold and unconsciously gripped his left arm. Tyki frowned in confusion. _What _is_ wrong?_ He thought. Allen's head tilted forwards to hide his eyes behind the startling white bangs, his right hand involuntarily tightening its grip on the left arm. If Tyki had not continued to watch the boy, in a hope that it would reveal the reason behind the strange behaviour, he would have missed the word that made it to the child's lips, but no further. _Oh... his arm._ "Come on Allen, she won't see it. It's okay, let's just have a look, see if there is anything before we go storming out this place." Grudgingly, Allen followed Tyki back over to the racks and stared dully at the cloths and Tyki pulled some out at random to get a good look.

Around five minutes later Angela stumbled back through the door and made her way over to the two of them.

"Look what I found! What do you think? Cute or what?" She held up a miniature shirt, gaudy pink in colour, and some blue pressed trousers. Tyki and Allen's eyes widened in horror. The Noah cleared his throat before revealing his and Allen's own choice from the racks. Plain black trousers and a simple long white dress shirt. The woman pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. "Jeeze, men have no sense of adventure!" She exclaimed. "Well come on then, you'd better try them on then." Allen visibly paled right before their eyes.

"That's quite alright Miss, we'll just be buying these and then we'd best be off." Tyki said, skirting the issue as neatly as possible.

"But how will you know if they'll fit?" Angela questioned

"He already slipped them on to check for size when you were out back."

"Oh. Well, alright then..." She turned and went to stand behind the counter and Tyki paid quickly, tilting his hat in her direction, before leaving the shop, bag in one hand and Allen's own gloved one in the other.

"So...Ice cream?"


	6. Chapter 6

Noah of Innocence

Chapter 6

It had been seven years since the first day Tyki had taken Allen out of the Mansion, and since then many things and changes had occurred. Allen was now twelve years of age, and the biggest change had been in the child. He was now a healthy, energetic boy, with deep silver pools for eyes, and a lively personality that made everyone he met fall in love with him. Only a few days after the clothes shopping trip had the Earl informed Tyki he had purchased a small estate in England, and he wished for Tyki to take Allen there to live. The plan was to keep Allen away from the Akuma, and Allen seemed to trust Tyki the most, so the Noah of Pleasure was to accompany the child as a 'guardian'. At first Allen had been extremely upset, thinking the Earl found him a nuisance and was getting rid of him. It had taken days upon days to convince him that it was not true before they could leave. The Earl also set a date aside every other week to go visit the boy that had found a place in his heart.

Over the seven years Allen had lived a sheltered life among the human servants and Tyki in the small mansion, so he was still very much an innocent child, not having been informed about the war taking place as Tyki tried to protect him. All the servants were very fond of him and always went to extra lengths to make him happy. Tyki was always at the child's side, helping him and genuinely loving the boy as he grew up. It was rare to see either away from the other, and Allen would always sleep with Tyki at night. The two of them had been quick to discover that Allen never suffered for nightmares when sleeping with Tyki. However, it was also frighteningly apparent just how much Allen's past affected him, that even after all those years, he was still unable to sleep alone at night.

Something that had not changed, however, was Allen's loss of speech. He was still unable to say even a word, but Tyki, along with all the servants, had learned everything they could of sign language, alongside Allen, and they were all now experts. Tyki had also improved his lip reading and could now read pretty much any word from someone's lips. The Earl, during his stays had learnt a small amount of sign language, enough to communicate with Allen to a generous degree. Over the seven years, Allen had been kept a secret from all the other Noahs, on the Earl's orders, and Tyki had been sure to keep his existence secret from as many other people as possible, too. However, now, after all those years, the Millennium Earl had decided that it was time to introduce Allen to the others.

And so, Tyki was currently sitting in the lounge area, nervously awaiting his Noah sibling's arrival at the British estate. Allen was being distracted in the kitchen by the cook and a couple of maids, who were teaching him how to bake a cake. Tyki had not wanted the child to grow nervous alongside him, as he already knew, from experience, that Allen could be very sensitive to others' emotions, often making the child edgy himself. So Tyki had isolated himself, to wait for the fateful arrival.

The Earl had promised to be the first to arrive, to get some alone time with Allen, and too be there to calm any situations that may arise. He kept his promise and arrived promptly at six o'clock in the evening, along with his umbrella, Lero, whom Allen had grown increasingly fond of over the years, to the point where Lero had grown affectionate in return. Tyki had been amused to hear, from the Earl, that Rhode was growing increasingly annoyed at the pumpkin topped umbrella, at the fact it always seemed distracted and never paid attention to her anymore, other to complain that he had feelings too and that she should learn to be nice to him. Rhode, not knowing about Allen, was increasingly frustrated, realising that there must be someone else, but she could not get the truth from anyone, not even when torturing Lero.

"Where is my dear Allen-kun~?" The Earl questioned, as soon as he was through the door.

"He's in the kitchen with some of the staff. They're helping him bake a cake for out 'visitors'. Tyki sighed.

"Well I'll just be off to say a quick hello then~." And with that he wondered down the corridor towards the cooking area. Inside he found the young boy giggling, along with the cook and a couple of maids, with flour on his face, and all over the staff's uniforms, as well as some melted chocolate splattered across his unscarred cheek. At the noise of the door opening, the boy turned to see who had entered. At the sight of the Millennium Earls' balloon of a body, and cheshire grin, he leaped forwards to attempt to hug the giant stomach, his arms not even reaching the Earls sides.

'_Earl-y!'_ He mouthed, smiling in delight. '_Look! Look! I'm making a cake with Garry, Alex and Livi! Chocolate cake! Do you like chocolate cake?'_ He continued in his sign language, his tiny hands moving gracefully to form the different shapes required. He looked up into the Earls face with the sweetest of smiles as he tugged on the man's hand, leading him towards a tin filled with a rich brown mixture. With a nod from the Earl, a delighted smile adorned Allen's pale face as he continued his hand chatter happily. '_Garry says it's got to bake in the oven for a while now, but he said we can lick the bowl and spoon while we wait!' Here you have the spoon._ The child handed the sticky wooden spoon to the giant, and then waved at his servant friends as they bowed and curtsied, appropriately, to the Earl, before leaving the two of them alone.

It only took a few minutes to finish off all the left over mixture, and after that Allen settled himself on the Earl's lap, on the floor in front of the oven, to watch the cake rise. Allen told the Earl of all the different things he had learnt from his tutor over the last two weeks, and the Earl listened in amusement at the child's awe over the more simple things, such as a poem book he had been reading with Tyki as 'homework'.

"So, why are you baking a cake, Allen-Kun~?" The Earl asked once Allen was finished.

'_Tyki said we were having guests round! So I asked if we could have chocolate cake, and he said yes!'_ The boy retold the story happily and smiled up at the Earl from the man's lap. '_I haven't made a cake before so I was helping Garry! The chocolate was really yummy!'_

"Well glad to hear you had fun then~. Why don't you come with me to the lounge and we can wait for your 'guests' together with Tyki-Pon~. The cake won't be finished for a while yet, and Lero is looking forward to seeing you again~." At this the boy jumped up and grabbed the Earl's hand, dragging on it till the man had hauled himself to his feet and allowed himself to be led out the room by the white haired child.

In the end they headed into the dining room, where the maids from before were laying the table for eight people, with silver cutlery of the finest quality and crystal wine glasses, one of them already filled with orange juice situated next to the head. Immediately knowing that that was where he was to be seated, Allen headed over to the chair, and climbed onto it before sitting himself down, and then reaching over to have a sip of the juice from his glass. Meanwhile, the Earl had taken his seat at the head of the table and rested his head in his hands whilst gazing at the child before him with gentle eyes above his wide grin. It was one of Allen's rare talents that he could always tell what mood the Earl was in, despite his lack of changes in his expression. However, it had already been duly noted that the boy had this talent with everyone, which was enforced by the silent words that fell from his lips.

'_Why's Tyki worried?'_ The child looked up with his eyebrows furrowed a little in his own worry, a small crease appearing between his brows. The Earl's heart briefly clenched at the expression, and he quickly reasoned with Allen.

"He just wants to make sure nothing goes wrong with the dinner, that's all." He said, reaching out and ruffling the velvet snow white locks. His own mood lightened as a smile adorned the child's features once more.

'_Okay.'_ The child mouthed. A few more moments passed in silence, and then Tyki himself walked through the wall dividing the dining room from the lounge, holding Lero in his hands. Allen looked up grinning at his favourite person, and rushed to his side to drag him towards the seat beside his own. Tyki's own tender smile lit up his face at the sight of the young boy, soothing away the lines of worry, and Lero greeted the child enthusiastically. Allen took the umbrella, returning the greeting and went to his seat, letting the umbrella float next to him as he signed to Tyki, the boy's back to the Earl, obscuring what was being discussed.

It was ten or so minutes later, at seven o'clock sharp, that the first of the family started to appear. A strange chequered door with a crown resting on top appeared out of thin air to one side of the room. Tyki automatically turned towards the phenomenon, already anticipating the arrival, and his worry returning to him in a heartbeat. The door slowly opened, and then a blur streaked out and the next thing any of them knew, a young girl, appearing only a couple of years older than Allen, was hugging the Earl fiercely around his neck. Allen, who in the suddenness of it all, only now noticed the new door, gasped lightly, but that was all that was needed to grasp the attention of the girl. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion, and her eyebrows drew together in a scowl.

"Millenni, who's this?" The Earl chuckled lightly, but there was a sharpness in his eyes.

"Now, now, Rhode-Chan. This here's Allen-Chan. Allen-Chan's very special, so be nice to him~." The sternness behind his words was not missed by Rhode, and her eyes narrowed further.

"So _Allen-Chan_, what are you doing here?" This was followed by a couple of seconds of silence, in which Allen stared at the girl with wide grey eyes and clung to Tyki's sleeve, before the Noah of pleasure himself stepped in. The boy's fear was not missed by any of the three Noah's present, and the Earl and Tyki looked on in hate at the dull colour the previously gem like eyes had taken.

"Rhode... He can't speak."

"What? Why not?" The hitch in the child's breathing was easily picked up by Tyki who was so attuned to the boy, and he automatically lifted Allen from his seat and onto his lap, hugging him tightly.

"Shh, Allen." He soothed, and then called out to one of the servants, who he knew would come at a moment's notice. "Olivia!" A few seconds later and the blonde maid walked into the room, wiping her hands on a small towel which she quickly placed into the pocket in the front of her apron.

"Yes my Lord?" She asked curtsying.

"Why don't you take Allen to go see if the cake's finished?"

"Yes Lord Mikk." She curtsied once more before calling out to Allen. "Come on Allen. Garry's just taking the cake out the oven. Why don't you help with the icing?" With a gentle smile, she soon coaxed the child out of Tyki's arms and held his hand firmly as they left the room together, the child's head bowed, hiding his expression from view.

The three Noah's watched the child leave the room, the two males with sad eyes and the girl with curiosity. Once Allen was out of sight, and the door closed behind him, Tyki turned back to Rhode.

"Rhode, Allen's been through a lot. You need to be very careful around him." The Earl continued from there on.

"Allen was treated pretty badly by humans, and he's been traumatised by the death of his foster father. He hasn't talked in over seven years, since I brought him back with me."

"SEVEN YEARS! You've had Allen here for seven YEARS and you never told me!"

"Rhode." Her name was spoken as he usually would, but the shiver that ran down the deceivingly young looking girl's spine betrayed the anger behind the word. Rhode lowered her gaze from the Earl, and silently cursed the boy. "You will be nice to Allen. Go find him and apologise for earlier." At the silence that met the direct order, and the lack of movement to complete it, the Earl finally lost his patience. "NOW." She quickly gave an irritated bow and skulked out the room, a servant in the hallway showed her to the kitchens.

Tyki groaned once she was out of hearing range and buried his face in his arms.

"Tyki-Pon, don't give up yet. You know how special Allen is. He'll soon win Rhode over." The Earl reasoned. "Besides were not finished explaining yet. Here comes the rest of our family." At his words the chequered door reopened and a large man walked out. Skin Bolic nodded politely in their direction, without removing the lolly from his mouth, before taking his seat four places down the table to the Earl's right. He was shortly followed by a black cat, and as it walked towards the Earl it changed form in the Noah Lulu Bell, who was quick to bow to the Earl and took her position on the same side of the table, next to the Earl.

"Lulu Bell. Sweet tooth." Tyki greeted them in turn once they were both seated and nodded his head in a polite manor.

They sat in silence for another minute or so before the door opened once again to reveal the non identical twins of the family. The two of them announce their arrival with a huge brass band walking ahead of them, which disappeared after the loud bang of their guns, neutralising their Noah ability in an instant.

"The great Jasdevi have arrived!" They proclaimed loudly, and Tyki winced at the volume, whilst the Earl just beamed at the two and subtly suggested they take their seats. Now that they were all there, and Lulu Bell told the Earl that Sheryl was going to be late due to minister business, the Earl cleared his throat for everyone's attention.

"So, my dear family, now that we are all here, Tyki and I have an announcement to make… We have a beloved new member of the family~!" Everyone gasped and started chatting happily between themselves, wondering who had been the next to awaken. Meanwhile Tyki was steadily on his way to suffering brain damage as he banged his head against the table in a fixed rhythm.

"Earl-Sama, may I inquire as to where Mr. Mikk has been all these years? Has it got anything to do with our new family member?" Lulu Bell politely questioned.

"Ahh… Yes, well I assigned Tyki the mission of caring for the child until he was at a suitable age to meet you all!"

"Is it a boy or girl?" David asked curiously.

"Oh, he is a young boy. His name is Allen Walker, and I assure you he is the sweetest thing you will ever lay your eyes on~!" The Earl boasted in glee. "He turned twelve last Christmas, and Tyki, all the servants and I had a little celebration with him here. He was so happy when he got to open his presents. His smile was to _die_ for~!"

"Mmm, sweets…" Skin thought aloud to himself, but his comment was quickly forgotten by the sudden outburst from the direction of Rhode's door.

"Noooooooo! No, no, no, no, _no_! There is nothing sweeter in the whole world than my darling Rhode! Nothing can compare!" Tyki paused in his attempt at brain damage to glance up at his late brother, sweat drop, and then go back to thumping his head against the table.

"Good evening Sheryl, but how can you say that when you have not even met him yet~?" The Earl asked in a surprisingly stern voice. Usually he was quite lenient when it came to Sheryl's complex over his self proclaimed daughter, so his sudden serious outlook on the situation was a shock to the system for all those present. Sheryl mumbled something under his breath. The only words Tyki managed to pick up were 'no way', 'can't possibly' and 'my darling Rhode' followed by a couple of sniffles. "The Earl beamed in Tyki's direction, but the expression faltered a little at the sight of the Noah of pleasure's current activities. "Tyki-Pon, would you stop that this instant, please~? You're going to damage the table~…" Tyki slowly raised his head to look at the Earl. "I do not see what the matter is Tyki-Pon. They all seem unable to wait to meet Allen, everything's going to be fine~!"

"Oh yes, Earl-Sama. Everything is going to be perfect, except for the fact that you forgot to mention that Allen isn't a Noah." Sarcasm dripped from each word, and the room that had gone back to the happy and chatty atmosphere of before became suddenly deathly silent.

"…He's WHAT!"


	7. Chapter 7

**My present from me to you this Christmas!**

Thank you to these people for reviewing:  
dgm-mega fan; one-who-loves-Sesshy; LiveInTheMomentx; Lingering Sorrow; KionaRinton; god of all; I Love Lollipops; KingRabbit; Kumika95; moon; Darkstar716; blackbloodywolf; wierdsquirrelgirl; ThorongilAnime

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Noah of Innocence  
Chapter 7

Rhode stormed into the kitchen to apologise for her earlier actions. There was no way she would have done this normally, but orders were orders and she could not go against the Earl's. As she stepped through the doorway she saw the strange white haired boy standing with his back to her on a stool so that he could reach the kitchen counter. A man in a chef outfit, completed with a hat, and the maid from earlier stood on either side of him and none of them noticed her presence.

That was another thing that she had been wondering about; since she had arrived at this English mansion on the outskirts of London she had not sensed an Akuma once. A normal Noah residence would be crawling with Akuma servants but here there were as little as five maids and one cook, all of which were human. It was laughable that a Noah should live in such a manor without any Akuma to bend to their very command as it was in their nature. _Then again, _Rhode thought, _Tyki never was completely normal, what with running off to work with his human friends in the mines…_

However, even when adding in the Noah of Pleasure's abnormalities to the equation, something about the situation had a distinct non-Tyki-ish feeling about it, which left this boy as the probable cause of the absence of the Akuma for at least a 500 metre radius around the English estate.

Rhode was just about to call out to the child when suddenly she found herself really looking at him rather than her earlier suspicious glares. The boy was probably only a couple of years younger than the age of her body, but was still tiny in size. In fact he was so small she was pretty sure he would not even reach her shoulder in height if he were off the stool.

However what truly caught her attention was the boy's smile. Allen was happily spreading a thick chocolate icing over an extremely rich looking chocolate sponge along with the dark skinned cook with his hair tied back in many intricate braids to make it more manageable and then a hat to keep them out of his face. The two were joking around together and Allen was smiling so sweetly that it made the Noah of Dreams speechless for just a moment before she shook herself and continued on into the Kitchen.

"Oi! Allen!" The child stiffened at the sound of her voice before turning with his head bowed not looking her in the eye. The maid, Livi, turned as well with a strangely blank expression, not looking her in the eye either. The cook did a half bow in recognition of her presence before turning back to complete the task of icing the cake. "Sorry for what I said earlier…" She finished, mumbling her apology through gritted teeth. Rhode was not expecting much in a way of response, so turned to leave again, and therefore she was extremely surprised when she felt a tugging on her sleeve stopping her from leaving. When she glanced down she saw Allen standing beside her clinging to her sleeve with his right hand and smiling up at her with such an innocent look that she felt her heart melt just a little.

A few seconds later he released her sleeve and made some strange moves with his hands. At the confused look she sent him when he looked up at her expectantly, a slight frown marred his face, which she instinctively felt did not belong on such a lovely child's features. He then turned from her to face the maid from before, and repeated the strange hand movements.

"He says 'that's okay' and 'do you want to help with the cake?' Miss Rhode." The woman politely told the Noah and Allen turned back to her with a hopeful look adorning his face. Rhode found she just simply could not refuse.

-x-

"…He's WHAT!" The twins screeched in union as the rest of the rooms occupants also fell into an uproar. Tyki's face paled at the family riot he had caused, but more importantly at the subject behind it.

"He's just human." He repeated as calmly as he could manage. "Allen is just an ordinary human."

"Disgusting!" Jasdero cried.

"Filthy!" David added his own thoughts. Soon the room came to a silence, however, when the Earl's menacing aura suddenly snaked along the table's length, a chill creeping down each of the Noah's necks.

"You will not judge Allen-Kun on what he is~. Is that understood~?" He sang out, his eyes black with his fury. All those present nodded their heads purely out of obedience and sat quietly, seething. This continued for a full five minutes, with the Earl grinning manically and Tyki holding his head in his hands, avoiding everyone else's penetrating eyes staring at him.

"Millenni!" Rhode's childish voice suddenly rang out, the door slamming open. "The cake's finished! Oh my god, its sooooo good! Allen let me ice it with him, and we got to lick out the bowl after! And the chocolate… mmmmmm…" She trailed off, a dreamy expression crossing her face. "Millenni, we must skip dinner and go _straight_ to dessert!" A grin crossed Skin's face and he pulled a lollypop from his mouth, voicing his agreement. He already liked this Allen boy.

"Dessert." He stated firmly, as if that decided everything, which in his opinion it did.

"Now how could I possibly deny my family Allen's cake~?" The Earl chuckled. "Garry, straight to dessert~!" The cook poked his head around the corner of the still open door and nodded his head in confirmation, before rushing back to the kitchen to serve up the food.

"Rhooooooooooooode!" Sheryl yelled in excitement, dashing round the table to grab his beloved daughter, to find her… gone? "Rhode?"

"She went back to the kitchens, Desires. I believe she went to retrieve Allen-Kun~." Lord Millennium said, casting a warning look to his family. Skin just looked on with a deranged sort of smile, drooling slightly.

"Cake?" He questioned.

"Yes, Allen will bring cake." The Earl reassured.

Less than a minute later the soft patter of children's feet rushing towards the dining room had the group of Noah watching the door in anticipation, all wanting to be the first to catch a glimpse of Allen, Skin for his own reasons. The doors opened to reveal Rhode skipping into the room again, but noticing everyone's slightly disappointed expressions she looked around in a quizzing manor before glancing behind her and rolling her eyes exasperatedly and walking back up to the door she had just entered through.

"Allen, come on, it's not like they're going to bite!" Everyone could hear clearly and she pulled a figure around the door and into the room with her.

Everyone could immediately see the unusual features the boy sported. The first detail to grab their attention was of course his stunning white hair which shone in the candle light of the golden chandelier above them and the candlesticks on the table. The second striking feature and the once that caused the most curiosity was a prominent scar that ran down the right side of the face as pale as porcelain. The red line ran up over his eyelid and up into an inverted pentagram upon his brow. The sign was that of an Akuma, but what it was doing on the forehead of a young child none of the Noah knew.

However what overrode the pentagram and captured all their minds were the bright silver pools of emotion that were his eyes. Allen and Rhode had come to a halt half way up to the table, the boy clearly uncomfortable with everyone staring at him, and he shifted his feat a little looking down embarrassed and perhaps a little afraid.

"Come sit down, Allen." Tyki said as cheerfully as he could, but even he could hear the strain in his voice. Nevertheless he pulled back the chair between him and the Earl enough to indicate the seat, and Allen quickly carried out the request. Once seated he kept his eyes on his lap and just waited for something to happen and Rhode took her seat opposite him on the Earl's other side.

"Everyone, this is Allen-Kun. Allen-Kun, this is the rest of the family~!" Said the Millennium Earl. Once Allen glanced up he proceeded to introduce the silent Noah individually. "This here is Rhode Camelot who you've already met," at this Allen smiled timidly at Rhode who grinned back, "and this is her adoptive father Sheryl Camelot." Sheryl was analysing Allen critically and trying to find fault with the Earl's earlier claims, however the best he could come up with was the scar that marred the otherwise perfect skin. He nodded half serious half in wonder. "That over there is Lulu Bell." The stern woman nodded pompously and her eyes remained narrowed critically. However she would never go against her master and would look after what he thought precious. Rhode decided to take care of the rest of the introductions.

"Them freaking looking boys... or maybe they're girls? It's a little hard to tell with the way they look... Anyways, they're the twins of the family, Jasdero and David, also known as-"

"Jasdevi!" The two boy's chorused, posing dramatically, and then proceeded to have a huge argument with Rhode over how they looked leaving Allen wide eyed at their behaviour. Clearing his throat to gain Allen's attention, Tyki finished the introductions.

"And that over there is Skin Bolic, aka sweet Tooth." The bulky man growled at the nickname and then turned to stare at Allen. The child shrunk before his condemning and fierce gaze.

"Nice to meet you, my name's Allen Walker." Tyki translated for the boy, and the surname caused a few sharp eyed looks in the Earl's direction, which he nodded to, and the guests gained a little more understanding of just what the child was doing there, and just why the Earl was doting on him so much.

A few eyebrow also raised as they noticed Allen's use of sign language and Tyki's proficient translation, showing that he was used to doing such a thing.

"Cake?" Skin questioned, and Allen's eyes suddenly lit up. His hands suddenly flew into motion and Tyki hastily began to translate, trying to keep up with the speed Allen was chattering at.

"Yeah, I made cake! It's chocolate too, and I helped Garry make it! Garry's the chef, but sometimes when he's making a desert he lets me help him. And today Earl helped be lick the bowl and spoon clean!" Tyki said in a rush, leaving the other Noah, minus the Earl, open mouthed with the amount he had just said. Not that Tyki was particularly quiet, just that he was not really one for bothering with talking about something as trivial as cake, even if it was the boy who was really talking about it. Surprisingly Skin was the first to get over the shock.

"When is it done?" He questioned eagerly, but the opening of the doors into the dining room answered the question for him as a chef in a tall white hat entered the room and placed a huge gooey chocolate sponge cake into the centre of the table.

"I apologise for the wait. The icing needed time to settle after Allen-Kun was finished applying it." He stated, and with a bow he exited the room pulling the doors shut behind him.

Allen stiffened when he felt a shadow fall over him, and when he turned he saw the looming gigantic figure of Skin. Eyes wide in fear, he waited, but was relieved and amused to see the large ma reach over him to cut away a quarter of the whole cake and then take it back to his seat, drop it onto the plate provided and munch happily away. All the other's present then took a generously sized slice each leaving just over a quarter left which Tyki picked up and placed in front of Allen. Again everyone watched wide eyed as the boy finished off the slice in a minute flat. Wiping his mouth carefully on his napkin the child looked up to see everyone other that the Earl and Tyki staring at him, and he blushed, ducking his head.

"Oh my God, he's like a black hole!" Jasdevi exclaimed, standing upon their chairs and pointing rudely at Allen who seemed to shrink further and further into his chair. Tyki continued to eat his slice of cake in the proper manner, but reached out with his free hand and ruffled Allen's hair affectionately.

"Sit down~." The Earl said sternly, and Jasdevi quickly did so, mumbling under their breaths all the while.

-x-

In the early hours of the morning, the family was finally leaving the mansion after an incredibly surprising, but also fun, evening. Lulu left through Rhode's door with a bow to the Earl and a brief pat on the head of Allen. Jasdevi also left bowing to the Millennium Earl and waved happily goodbye to the boy, promising to come and play with him again soon.

The most surprising departure came from Skin who gave Allen one of his own lollipops before wandering out the door without another word. Last came Rhode. She hugged Allen tightly and made him promise to bake another cake for the next time they visited, and this time she would help. After she stepped through the chequered door, it vanished behind her. That left Allen, Tyki and the Earl, the last of whom would be staying in one of the guest rooms for the night.

Allen let out a huge yaw that practically split his face in two, and slumped a little in tiredness. Tyki and the Earl both wanted a couple more drinks and to discuss the evening before going to bed, and Tyki, knowing better than to let Allen sleep on his own, took the child into the lounge area and let the boy curl up on his lap after he had settled in an arm chair.

The child was asleep within seconds with a soft smile etched onto his face.

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Please Review!  
xxx


	8. POLL

Poll

I've decided that I'm going to concentrate for a month at a time on each fanfiction, getting as many new chapters out during this time as I can.

In April I'm going to be concentrating on **Lord of Dragons and Riders** (a Merlin / Inheritance fanfiction).

However for May, I've set up a poll on my author page for all you lovely readers to vote on your favourite fanfiction!

So please vote! xxx


	9. PETITION

The administrators of are as of June 4th going to be taking down Fics that have lemons or have extreme violence. Now I don't know about you but I think thats stupid. There are many wonderful fics that only have one or two lemons in them yet the plot itself is awesome! You can't just take down a 100,000+ word fic just because it has a lemon in a chapter that is only 1000 words long. Now I urge you all to read the petition below, sign it, and repost this to your own fics. Hopefully if we make enough noise everything will return to normal. Thank you.

Greetings to the fine folk that moderate our site.

Myself, along with many, have been writing and posting on your fine site for years now, some of the better examples of up and coming writers out there are now suddenly finding some of the stories we've come to love at risk of being removed without the chance to even rectify our errors.

For some, that means the permanent loss of a story. While I don't have anything that I believe violates your terms of use, there are those out there that are never able to recover a story in its original form, this is something I find to be almost worthy of a legal action, as while we cannot claim ownership of a character, the stories are OURS and simply destroying them is something that is inexcusable.

It's quite easy to simply add an MA rating, additional filters or even a simple requirement for a free membership to read the stories presented here, and would cut down on hateful anonymous reviews and posts at the same time, so I have to question as to why such a thing, in all this time, simply wasn't added.

If you're worried about falsification of a registration then have an appropriate disclaimer and then there can be no dispute, you took your steps and the PARENTS didn't monitor their children, if that is even your concern. If it is more of a personal view or desire then please at least let people know and give them a chance to remove a story that you and yours find offensive, most people on the site are actually rather cordial when it comes to such requests.

While I cannot say for sure if this letter will even reach those that may be willing to listen, of if it's more akin to a wide spectrum purge in preparation for something bigger, please understand that you are going to be looseing a LARGE number of your writers, and thus your income from a lack of readers if there is not some level of action taken to help with this situation.

For those that may agree with this, please feel free to sign on the following website:

www. change  
. org  
/fanfiction-net-stop-the-destruction-of-fanfiction-net#

(remove the line gaps and spaces)


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